Article holder



June 24, 1930. L', LA BOMBARD Er AL 1,765,415

ARTICLE HOLDER Filed Jan. 28, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 5 /6 LZZve7z-0 7&5

,le nil amZard J zv vawzz ideptiwun/ June 24, 1930. LA BQMBARD Er AL1,765,415

ART I OLE HOLDER Filed Jan. 28, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 24, 1930. E.LA BOMBARD ET AL 1,765,415

ARTICLE HOLDER Filed Jan. 28, 1927 {Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented June 24,1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LEON E. BOMBARD, OF WEST NEWTON, 'A NDMELVIN H. SIDEZBOTHAM, OF NEWTON- VILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNQRS TOSPECIALTY AUTOMATIC MACHINE COM IPANY, OF CHELSEA, 'MASSACHUSETTSARTICLE nornma Application filed January 28, 1927. Serial No. 164,210.

This invention relates to holders or containers for shirts or similararticles-ofgoods when kept in stock or exposed for sale, or

to contain such articles returned from a laundry, especially the latterpurpose.

The invention has particular reference to means for not only protectingthe articles from dust and dirt, but also to retain such articles assoft shirts, or dress shirts, which are liable to shift or slide in acontainer, in flat or un-crumpled condition.

A particular object of the invention is to vprovide a garment holderhaving a stifiener, which stifi'ener is so constructed or shaped that,although normally flat, will be converted by the act of inserting agarment in the container or holder, to a form which will greatlyincrease its longitudinal stiffness.

Another object is to provide means for cooperating with the container orholder to facilitate insertion of a garment in smooth folded conditionin the holder, the said inserting means being removable when de-' sired.I

With the above-mentioned objects in view, the invention consists in theholder or container, and an inserter, substantially as hereinafterdescribed and claimed,

Of theaccompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a face view of the package, with the inserter as Well as afolded shirt in the holder.

Figure 2 is an end view looking upward from the lower end of Figure 1.

Figure 3 represents a. section on line 33 of Figure 1. I I Figure 4represents a section on line 44 of Figure 1, but omitting any enclosedgarment, the members being illustrated as well alone, empty and in thenormal fiat condition as when not in use.

Figure 7 is-a face view of the inserter alone.

' r Figures 8 and 9 are, respectively, side and end views of theinserter alone.

of holder.

Figure 11 represents a section on line 11-11 of Figure 10.

Figure 12 is a form of holder.

Figure '13 represents a section on line 1313 of Figure 12.

Figure 14 is a partial face view ofanother form of holder. T

Figure 15 represents a section on line 1515 of Figure 14.

Similar I reference characters indicate similar parts in all of theviews.

The holder, which may contain a folded garment either alone orpermanently or temporarily with the member which is first-used as aninserter, comprises a card board back member 12 and a flexible frontmember 13 preferably consisting of tissue paper of less length than theback member, the side margins of the front member being folded over theside edges of the back member and ad: hesively secured. creased parallelwith its side edges as indicated at 14', for a purpose presentlyexplained.

The front and back members of the hold- I er are of such relative areaslaterally that The back member is the holder .and expands it as tothickness;

but the important result is that the conversion of the back to a form orshape having transversely. angular or curved marginal portions rendersthe holder as a whole so stifl longitudinally that the package can behandled quite-freely without disturbing its substantially flat shape"and the consequent proper folded condition of the enclosed protectedgarment. I

To reduce liability of tearing the thin front-member 13 when inserting agarment,

pass over the extreme edges of the member 12 and are adhesively securedto'the back thereof. To still further reinforce the corners where thepull is exertedwhen a garment is inserted in the holder, patches or tabs17 are illustrated in Figures 1 and 5, 'said patches being of. suitablematerial such as strong kraft paper adhesively secured strip 40 to thefront and back of said corners and extending around or over the edges ofthe front and back members. While the reinforcements just describedprovide a strong and durable structure, we do not limit ourselvesthereto.' Either of said reinforce ments may be omitted if the garmentsto be placed in the holders are of a light and not bulky character soas,not to requlre such multiple reinforcements.

To facilitate'the placing of a folded gar ment in'the holder, we em loan inserte'r which can either be removed aft ing its function or can beleft in the holder with the garment, said inserter being of a characterwhichfwhen left inthe holder,

protects the entire shirt front ashereinafter explained. Saidinsertercomprlses a strip of suitable material such as cardboard, saidbeing cut and creased to formtwo long sect1ons 18, 19, with anintermediate connecting narrow section 20, the latter being cut out atits middle to provide an opening 21 and a lip 22 (Fi 1, 2., 7 and 9).The

strip is foldable on t e crease lines which define the sections fromeach other, and the sections 18, 19, at their separate or free ends,

are tapered as at'23. and the end edges are [recessed as at 24.. Thesection 18 is longi- 'tudinally creased at 25, near its side edges,-

and-adjacent to the section 20-is provi with relatively small ears '26(Figs. 1, '2, 7,

The strip 18, 19, 20, when folded on the transverse crease lines,refefably ,substan tiall equals, in-len h, t e back member 12 of t eholder, but 1s slightly narrower. .It is employed, primarily, for thepurpose of effectlng a smooth insertion of a ment such as a shirt intheholder as hereinafter described; when left in the'holder with theshirt, it protects the collar ban I and the bosom of the shirt includingthat pgrtion of the latter which would otherwise exposed above thereinforced edge of the holder member 13.

er perform olded gar-- In use, a garment such as-a shirt is folded iabout the back member 19 of the inserter, a portionof the shirt beinfolded over the recessed and tapered end o said member 19 and turnedupward against the back of said member,. the correctfolding beingfacilitated by utilizing the hole 21- in the section 20 as a visualguide for the proper location of the center of the'neck band of theshirt i the usual button hole a" in said neck ban indicating saidcenter. In other words, the

hole 21 in the inserter' section 20 indicates the proper centering ofthe shirt laterally. After said folding, the front member 18 of theinserter is laid down over the entire front of the shirt and then, in"its-doubled" condition, with the shirt, is inserted into theholder,this being illustrated by Figures 1, 2 and 3. The tapered ends 23of the inserter sections 18, 19, facilitate easy entrance.-

Owing to the fact that the section 18 covjso e rs the shirt bosom andthe usual front but-'.

tons thereof, such buttons, or any frills of the shirt bosom, can notcatch on the edge of the member 13 of the holder and either tear, saidmember or interfere with smooth" insertion .to place.

After the shirt is smoothlypositioned, the in inserter can be readilywithdrawn so as to J leave the front of: the shirt perceptible throughthe member- 13 which is usually more or less transparent. Such removalis easily effected'by grasping the lip 22 with one hand and with theother hand grasping the portion of the shirt which overlies the recesses24 of the members 18, 19,, and then inv opposite directions. If desiredowever, especially when the garment is" a dress shirt or if visibilityof its material and pattern is not desired because it is to be putawayin stock, the inserter. 'canbe advant'ageouislye left in the holder,with the shirt, to be removed at any later time. 'When so left, theportionof the shirt which would otherwise be exposed above the edge 15of'the holder member 13 is covered and protected as well as the rest ofthe shirt bosom. And the. cars 26 of the inserter section 19afl'ordprotectien to such portions of the shirt as .tend to'bulgeoutward above thereinforced corners of the holder front member 13. i

In Figures 10 to 15 inclusive we illustrate structures which notonlyrovide for reinforcing the'upper unattac ed edges of thethin members13'but also maintain the extreme edges at suflicient distances from theback members so that garments can be readily inserted into the pocketsor spaces betweeen the front and back members without catchingonsaidextreme edges,

Although in said Figures 10 to 15 no attempt has been made to includeillustration of an inserter, it is to be'understood that inserterssuchas illustrated by Figures 7,?

to the outer surface of the upper margin of the thin front member 13,preferably extending the back of the stiff member 12, and said strip islongitudinally creased as at 31 to cause the extreme edge of both thestrip and the member 13 to stand away from the back member so that agarment can be readily moved past said extreme edge without catchingthereon. Said extreme edge is il lustrated as scalloped, such formationnotonly imparting an ornamental appearance to said edge but alsoproviding a series of protuberances which, if a garment should catchthereon, will only bend in with the garment and permit it to smoothlypass..

- surface of the In the structure illustrated by Figures 12 and 13, astri 32, similar to the described strip at,

13,- instead of to the outer surface as in Figures 10 and 11. Suchstrip, so located, does not need to be creased because the wellknowncharacteristic of adhesive on a strip causes the strip to curve when dryand therefore the-margin of-the front member, and its attached strip 32,automatically assumes such a transversely curved form as illustrated byFigure 13.

.Figures 14 and 15 illustrate a structure in which a strip of kraftpaper or similar material. is doubled over the edge of the member 13 andadhesivel secured so that saidstrip presents a roun ed surface pastwhich a garment can be readily moved without catching, a portion of saidsurface curving awa from the back member 12.

Figures 11, 13 and 15, which are sectional views on lines 11-11, 1313and 1515 of Figures 10, 12 and 14.- respectively, illustrate thereinforcing strips as thicker than those used in practice, this beingdone in the interest of clearness of illustration.

Having now described our invention, we claim:

1. The combination comprising front and back members conaround the sideedges and onto is a hesively secured to the inner marginof the frontmember with an article holder 1 er comprising front and back membersconnected at opposite edges, of an article inserter comprisin twosections connected at one end and having a projecting lip at saidconnected end, the edges of the other ends of said sections beingrecessed.

4:. The combination with an article holder comprising front and backmembers connected at opposite edges, of an article inserter comprisingtwo sections connected at one end, one of said sections being creasedalong lines parallel with its side ed es.

5. The combination with an artic e holder comprising front. and backmembers connected at opposite edges, of an article inserter comprisingtwo sections connected at one end, one of said sections having laterallyprojecting ears adjacent to the connections between the two sections,and an article completely enclosed between said sections of theinserter. I

6. An article holder comprising a thin flexible front member and arelatively stiff back member, the two members being connected atopposite edges, the thin front member having an unattached edge providedwith means for causing the extreme edge to stand away from the stiffback meme back member, the two members being connected at oppositeedges, the thin front -member having an unattached edge provided with asupplemental reinforcing strip having a normal shape to maintain theextreme edge-deflected away from the stiff back member.

8. An article holder comprising athin flexible front member and arelatively stiff Y back member connected together at oppo site edges,the thin front member having an unattached edge provided with a strip oftough flexible material adhesively secured to it, said strip beingtreated to cause it to maintain a transversely curved condition.

In testimony whereof we have affixed our signatures.

LEON E. LA BOMB RD,

MELVIN H. SIDEB THAM,

nected at opposite edges, of an article inserter comprising two sectionsconnected solely at one end and having oppositely tapered margins at itsother end, and an article completely enclosed between said insertersections. 1

2. The combination with an article holder comprising front and backmembers'connected at opposite edges, of an article inserter comprisingtwo sections with an inter-

